When Last I Cried
by Kelcor
Summary: A Tag to "Warriors" - Will suffers from the withdrawals caused by the drugs forced on him by the Cabal. Lots of H/C. Hurt Will/Angst-y Magnus and Henry. One Shot. Rated T just to be safe. COMPLETE.


_A/N Okay, this is my first Sanctuary story so please keep that in mind while reading. Also, I feel I should point out that I am a screenwriter by trade so if there isn't a whole lot of description (or if I suddenly go from past tense to present - though, I'm pretty sure I corrected those incidents in here) that's the reason - a screenwriter is supposed to use as few words as possible in their descriptions, no adverbs... you get the picture - if you'll excuse the pun. *wink* That being said, your reviews mean more to me than I could ever say, so please let me know what you think...? ~Kelcor_

**Missing Scenes from "Warriors"**

Henry, Ashley and Bigfoot all gazed anxiously through the one-sided glass, watching as Magnus tried to get through to a still extremely agitated Will Zimmerman. Some of his tremendous bulk had depleted since the scarab had been removed by Magnus and her father, but Will still wasn't back to his old self - by the Cabal equation scale, he was probably down from a 10 to about a 6 right now.

The tiny room had little more than a small bed and a toilet in one corner. A mirror had been placed on one wall at Will's insistence that he be able to see his progress for himself. No one really liked the idea, but they hadn't liked the idea of putting Will into the Shoe either, so they finally relented and supplied the mirror.

Henry's fists tightened around the railing in front of him as Magnus approached Will, speaking calmly, hands out in front of her, showing they were empty, that she had no intention of hurting him.

*****

Magnus felt her heart break all over again at the sight of pain in her protégé's eyes as he stared at her defiantly. "Will, it's okay. You are going to get through this. _We are_ going to get through this."

When his gaze lowered to the floor, Magnus took that as a good sign and stepped closer to him. There was no reaction until she placed her hand on his still abnormally muscular shoulder…

Will yelled "No get away from me," even as he lashed out with one huge arm, hitting Magnus across the chest, sending her flying backwards into the mirror. His gaze shot up again and he peered down at his mentor, his friend. "Magnus?" It came out as a whispered plea, filled with fear that he had just killed the closest friend he had ever had. He strode over to her still form, crouched down next to her, touched her face gently with one hand… then his eyes caught sight of the broken glass covering the floor…

*****

As soon as Magnus' feet left the floor, Bigfoot was on his way out the door, followed quickly by Ashley, then Henry. Foregoing the elevator, they rushed down the stairs and stormed into Will's room. Ashley was instantly at her mother's side, urging her back to consciousness.

"She's waking up," Ashley informed the rest of the room. Getting no response, she glanced up and saw Henry and Bigfoot staring at something a few feet away. Following their line of sight, Ashley quickly realized it was a _someone_ rather than a something - Will… with a large piece of glass in his right hand, hovering over his left wrist and forearm. "Will -- "

"No! Get out of here," he roared in a still somewhat guttural growl. "Take Magnus and leave!"

Hearing Magnus' moan, Ashley's eyes reluctantly left her friend and resettled on her mother. "Help me up."

"Mom, I don't think -- "

"Ashley, please, help me up."

With a sigh of resignation, Ashley grasped her mother by the elbow and hauled her, albeit gently, to her feet.

"Dude," Henry was saying now, "put the glass down. This isn't the way."

Will shook his head, his gaze flitting across the room, finally falling on Magnus. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice almost a whimper. "I -- I didn't mean to hurt you."

Magnus saw Bigfoot stealthily making his way around the room, doing his best to not draw Will's attention to him. In an attempt to assist in her manservant's plan, Magnus stepped slowly in the opposite direction, holding eye contact with Will so that his gaze would follow. "I know that, Will," she began gently. "You don't know your own strength. But you need to put the glass down."

"No. You don't understand. I can't control it. The anger is burning inside me and… when I release it… I feel…"

When Will's gaze fell to the floor again, Magnus took the opportunity to see what everyone else was doing. Ashley was staying close to her mother, ready to defend without actually hurting Will. Meanwhile, Bigfoot and Henry were slowly moving closer to Will from behind. This took only a split second, then Magnus' attention was back on Will. "What is it, Will? How do you feel when you release the anger?"

"I -- I feel… good," he exclaimed, his disgust with himself clear in his voice.

"That's completely normal, Will," she told him, deliberately using his name over and over, trying both to remind him of who he is and to let him know that _they_ hadn't forgotten who he is. "The drugs the Cabal gave you is still coursing through your system. I have you on a treatment, a regimen of sorts to take the edge off - but it will take a while for it to kick in. You have to give it time, Will. Please!"

Magnus' eyes widened as the glass was lowered until it was touching the flesh of Will's left wrist, angled in such a way to make a horizontal cut from wrist to elbow.

"No," he whispered. "Don't you see? I don't want to hurt anyone else. Those men in the ring died because of me! I almost killed Danny. And now you!? No, I can't keep hurting the people I love... I won't!" He pressed the shard of glass into his flesh, unable to hide the wince as it cut through, drawing blood…

Will roared with surprised anger when Bigfoot lunged, wrapping his arms around him from behind, trapping him. Henry made a grab for the glass but Will refused to release it, his strength making it so that the best Henry could do is ensure Will didn't cause any further damage to himself. As Will continued to struggle against the dual hold on him, blood began to seep from between his fingers, dripping onto the floor as the shard dug into his palm instead.

"Will," Magnus cried desperately,. Taking a bold step forward, she placed a hand on either side of his face, forcing her young protégé's eyes up to meet hers. "It's okay. _I'm_ okay."

He shook his head, a single tear escaping and rolling down one cheek. Magnus reached out a thumb and wiped it away with the gentleness of a mother.

"Remember on the submarine? You saved me, Will. You refused to give up on me. It's my turn to save you now, Will. I promise you, I will. But I need you to not give up on me, okay? Can you do that? For me?"

After a moment, Will relaxed in Bigfoot's hold, released the glass to Henry, and stood panting with exertion, breaths hitching slightly. Magnus ran her hand through his hair, she gave Bigfoot a nod and, when he released Will and stepped back, she guided the younger man's head down to her shoulder, stroked his hair as he struggled to regain control over his emotions. The other three looking on, this time more with sympathy than anxiety.

With another nod from Magnus, Henry stepped forward with a syringe and deftly inserted it into Will's upper arm, causing the younger man to tense up in her arms. "It's part of the regimen, Will, to get these drugs out of your system. Trust me."

"Do…" Will muttered, before going completely lax in her arms. Ashley rushed forward and she, Magnus and Henry all caught him before his knees hit the ground. Then Bigfoot lifted him easily into his arms and laid him gently on the bed.

*****

After that night, Will's appearance continued to return to normal at an even faster pace - unfortunately, the withdrawal symptoms seemed to be hitting harder and faster, as well. With Will no longer showing signs of violence, at least none that couldn't be easily thwarted in his weakened state, guard duty had been relegated to one person at a time.

Henry was on duty tonight, sitting in a chair outside the window looking into Will's room. Personally, he couldn't wait until Will was deemed recovered enough to be placed into his own room, because it broke his heart to see his friend relegated to a cell in the Shoe. The glass had been cleaned up and the mirror taken away. No replacement had been given for obvious reasons.

For his part, Will was sitting quietly in one corner of the room, knees drawn up to his chest, head in his hands, body rocking back and forth as he tried to comfort himself. Henry wasn't sure if his friend even knew he was there. He quickly negated that thought, however, when he realized that if Will had believed himself to be alone, he would not have been so determined to hide his face, his vulnerability, his torment. Then something in Will's demeanour changed, the rocking stopped abruptly, the body went completely still.

Surprise had Henry surging to his feet as Will lunged for the toilet, his face wincing in sympathy as his young friend vomited, the force of the expulsion making Henry positive that Will had lost any and all food he had eaten in the past year. As the vomiting continued, it became more and more difficult for Henry to remain at his designated spot _outside_ the room.

_Screw this, _he thought, knowing that his friend needed him. He strode purposefully over to the keypad lock and punched in his code, not hesitating for even a second when the beep indicated the door was now unlocked. Henry burst into the room and hurried forward, kneeling behind Will. Just as the younger man's arms gave out completely and he fell toward the toilet, Henry wrapped one arm around the taut stomach, cupping his other hand against the clammy forehead. He was close enough now to hear the soft whimpers, partly due to the current onslaught and partly due to the constant torment of the last week or so.

When the vomiting quieted, Henry eased himself and Will back away from the toilet to lean against the wall, leaving his friend resting against his own chest. Will struggled weakly, trying to pull away, but Henry easily overpowered him, wrapping both arms around him and gently massaging the muscles in the still cramping stomach.

"It's okay, Will," he whispered softly into the damp hair. "This is just what family does for each other."

*****

The next time Will regained consciousness, he was in his own bed, in his own room - and in an insurmountable amount of pain. He was curled in on himself, fighting against the seemingly limitless agony. Laying on one side, he stared at the door - alternately wanting someone to come in and praying that no one would, not wanting to be alone but not wanting anyone to see him like this, either.

His friends, his _mentor_, had seen him at his worst already. He didn't want them to be witness to his most vulnerable… his weakest... moments. How was he going to look Magnus in the eye ever again? He was going to have to leave the Sanctuary, of that he was sure. But how? He could barely straighten out in a prone position on the bed, let alone stand and walk out of here. He groaned quietly as another wave of agony assaulted his body, then jumped when a hand squeezed his shoulder.

"It's the withdrawals," the unforgettable British voice whispered from behind him. "I'm afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better, Will."

As if to confirm her statement, the pain did worsen, then the shakes made themselves known and he soon felt like his teeth were going to chatter right out of his mouth. He didn't want to do this alone, didn't think he could, but couldn't bring himself to ask for her help - not after everything he had done, under the influence or not, he should have been able to control himself.

Her hand lifted from his shoulder and he felt what little strength he had leave with it, the quaking in his body increasing tenfold. Will squeezed his eyes shut to hold back the tears - from both shame and pain - as he heard her footsteps rounding the bed, leaving him alone like he deserved. But his eyes popped open in surprise when he felt the blanket lifted and the bed dip beside him.

Stretching out on the bed, Magnus smiled, concern and love in her eyes as she slipped an arm beneath his back and pulled him up and over until his head was resting on her shoulder. Startled, he tried to pull away but her other arm wrapped around him, drawing him closer. "M-Magnus, d-don't -- "

"Shhh," she whispered, running a hand through his hair, cupping the back of his head as she kissed his brow, much like she had the night his mother had been killed all those years ago. "Like I told you before… _we_ are going to get through this."

"I - I'm so s-sorry," he whispered back, barely able to hold back the tears any longer, still trying half-heartedly to push her away.

"You've nothing to be sorry for, my dear boy. Absolutely nothing. Just trust me to help you through this, Will."

The shock of her words stilled his movements, surprised even though he knew he shouldn't be. I mean this was Magnus, the woman who, day in and day out, dealt with... "But I'm a m-monster."

"You said yourself a few months ago, there's no such thing as monsters," Magnus replied, reaching for something on the nightstand behind her. "Besides," she continued, "you look completely normal to me." A second later, she produced a small mirror and held it up in front of him. Once again he squeezed his eyes shut, afraid of what his reflection would reveal. "Open your eyes, Will." He shook his head vigorously. "Please, Will. Trust me. Open your eyes."

Slowly, he did as she requested - and was relieved to see his own face staring back at him. His eyes quickly filled with tears but he stubbornly held them back, flinching somewhat when she took the mirror away and pulled him against her once again.

"It's okay, Will. It's just you and me here. No one else will know. I promise you." Then, realizing that may not be his biggest fear, she added, "Nothing you could ever do would make me think less of you, Will. You need to know that."

Finally, surrendering to the boy deep inside him who wanted nothing more than to be comforted, to be told everything would be all right, Will leaned in to her touch and found his body now shaking with more than just withdrawals, surprised when a sob broke free - not surprised when Magnus' hold on him tightened and another kiss was placed on his forehead - more than a little embarrassed when he felt himself rocked back and forth.

But he soon found comfort in the action and came to realize that maybe he would be all right, after all.

*****

**The End**... of this chapter, anyway! :o)

_Please leave a review? ~Kelcor_


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